In baseball, as in any other sport such as golf, in which a ball is struck, proper hitting technique is paramount. Without proper hitting technique, batted balls, if they are hit at all, will not go where the hitter intends. Proper hitting technique is therefore taught very early to someone learning the game.
Proper hitting technique involves many skills including certain lower body skills which include stance, stride and pivot, with swinging of the bat culminating as a result of proper sequencing and the balance associated with each of these skills. These skills can be further broken down to include the required actions and balance associated with hitting a ball such as a baseball or a golfball.
While all of these elements are important, it is the proper balance, stance, stride, pivot and swing that are of interest to this invention. More particularly, it is noted that without a proper stance, stride or balance, it is nearly impossible to have a proper swing. The inventor has observed that once a batter places his weight on the heel of his front or back foot, at any time during the stride or swing phase, he will lose his balance and fall/stumble in the direction either away from the pitcher or away from home plate and the strike zone. Therefore, teaching and reinforcing the proper stance, stride, pivot and balance will be the primary focus of this invention.
For purposes of this disclosure, the following definitions apply: "Forefoot" is generally known as the "ball of the foot" and is the forward half of the foot where the toes are joined at the knuckles (which lie between the long arch of the foot and the toes); "Rear foot" is the posterior remaining half of the foot . . . essentially the heel of the foot; "Front Foot" is the hitters left or right foot, whichever is closest to the pitcher in baseball, also known as the "stride foot;" "Back Foot" is the hitter's right or left foot, whichever is farthest away from the pitcher in baseball . . . also known as the "pivot foot."
The proper lower body movement associated with hitting a baseball can be broken down into the following stages: the initial stance assumed while waiting for a pitch (with the batter's weight moved onto each forefoot and his knees slightly bent); the foot movement and placement of the front foot in striding toward the pitcher/ball; back foot pivot on its forefoot, causing the hips/pelvis to turn toward the pitcher; and follow through as the swing is completed. Balance is paramount and necessary with each stage. If balance or foot placement and/or foot movement is wrong during any of these stages the swing will be affected, and of course, if the ball is struck at all, the ball is not likely to go where the batter wants.
Therefore, there is a need for a practice and teaching device that is particularly directed to baseball, but which can be used in teaching golf, which teaches proper hitting technique, and specifically proper balance, stance, and foot placement and movement prior to, during and after a swing.
With regard to proper foot placement, the inventor has observed that if the proper stance is not assumed before the swing is initiated, a desired result is not likely. For example, the batter in baseball should assume a stance with his head properly aligned if he or she expects to swing properly. Still further, the inventor has observed that striding toward the pitcher allows the batter to transfer all of his energy and momentum into the pitched ball, thus hitting it harder. Still further, proper stance and stride prevents the batter from swinging from his heels, thereby allowing more power to be directed to the swing. The batter should also have the proper stance while waiting for a pitch so he or she is prepared to hit the ball when and where desired. Thus, a batter may feel more comfortable with an open stance for one pitcher or game situation and a closed stance for another pitcher or different game situation. The batter should also have proper stride length and proper landing technique to further transfer power to the hitting stroke, maintain balance and proper visual contact with the ball.
The inventor has also observed several other elements of proper hitting technique that should be taught and reinforced if a hitter, such as a batter in baseball, is to be trained and reinforced in the proper manner. For example, proper back foot pivot before the swing causes proper back knee flexion (bending). This allows the batter to develop additional power and bat speed as well as to gain further access to balls that are pitched lower down in the strike zone. The inventor has also observed that many novices tend to land too hard after striding into the pitched ball which tends to disrupt their balance and remove power from their swing. The inventor has also observed that a hitter must stay on his or her forefoot of each of his or her feet from the start to the finish of the swing (i.e., when in the batter's box waiting for the pitch, the batter should be on his or her forefeet), if the proper swing is to be executed.
Still further, the inventor has observed that one of the most important aspects of a proper swing is balance. A hitter must maintain his or her balance during all phases and stages of batting if the result is to be desirable. Improper balance at any stage or phase can adversely affect the swing, and may not be remediable during the swing. In fact, most pitchers in baseball try to keep a hitter off balance, or at least cause the batter to lose some or all of his balance at some time during the pitch to adversely affect the swing process.
Still further, the inventor has observed that proper back foot movement requires a batter to move the heel of the back foot off the ground and then to pivot on the front part (forefoot) of the back foot. Proper movement of the back foot permits the hitter to position his or her body into a proper hitting position to properly hit a ball.
While the art does contain devices that are disclosed as teaching hitting, these devices do not teach the overall technique, and especially do not properly teach balance or use balance as a primary teaching tool so proper balance is constantly reinforced to the learner or to the user.
Still further, these known devices often do not teach the proper placement and movement of the feet prior to, during and after a swing. More specifically, these devices do not teach the proper stance for the batter's back foot. That is, while some control is exerted on the hitter by the prior art devices, they are deficient because they omit to require a stance and balance on the forefoot which causes the heel to be lifted prior to the pivot. Since proper back foot placement and movement is not taught by prior art devices, a batter may not learn a proper swing, and may even obviate proper initial stance teaching.
Therefore, there is a need for a baseball practice and teaching device that teaches and reinforces hitting in a complete manner whereby lower body placement, movement and balance during the entire swing is controlled.
Still further, since all batters do not have the same stance width and orientation, any device that is used to teach or reinforce proper lower body placement and movement during a swing should be able to account for this variation. Also, any such device must be able to account for both right handed and left handed hitters. This is particularly true for hitters who prefer an open stance or for hitters who prefer a closed stance.
Still further, the inventor has observed that many hitters like to warm up before a game, or even before a practice, by taking practice swings either at live pitching or at no pitching. Therefore, any device that is intended to teach or to reinforce proper hitting technique should be easily portable from one place to another, as well as be easily stored and set up.
As any hitter will attest, if one element of the swing is wrong, the entire swing is considered as deficient. Sometimes, one element will affect another more easily noticed element of a swing. Often, it is the more easily identified element which is the element corrected. This will be an error because the real culprit is not identified. This then creates additional problems and may result in an entire swing being affected and changed.
Still further, even professional batters develop bad habits. For example, there may be a lack of forefoot balance, a lack of proper back foot pivot and pelvic forward rotation, a lack of proper stride, or the like. These habits are often developed unknowingly or as a result of an attempt to correct another deficiency as discussed above, or as a result of injury or the like. However, developed, they can be highly detrimental and should be corrected. However, before they can be corrected, they must be identified. Prior art devices do not have the ability to identify such deficiencies.
Therefore, there is a need for a teaching device that identifies errors in a swing, especially lower body errors in a hitting technique.